Diamond Head round 2

Sunday while the ladies went to the spa, E and I took the boys to see the Mighty Mo. N didn't seem at all alarmed that it didn't look like a giant lawn mower (see previous post where he asked if we were going to see the Mighty Mower).

ES reads the plaque where the Japanese surrendered.

E and I had a good laugh when we walked through the gift shop at the Mighty Mo though. Even this isolated non-profit organization across the harbor from the NEX couldn't escape the long-arm of the RIMPAC merchandising agent...


In spite of my initially positive review of the New Balance 1062's I bought a while back, I quickly found them not to be as comfortable as I had initially thought. P & E both know a thing or two more about running shoes than I do, and E went with me to a honest-to-goodness running shoe store called Runners Hi. I had heard about brands like Brooks and Mizuno before from reading friends blogs, but I had never actually SEEN a pair of said shoes before setting foot in the Runners Hi store. Sure, I was aware that I could order some online at places like RoadRunner or Running Warehouse, but they usually don't honor the free shipping or return shipping thing to Hawaii.

The guys in the Runners Hi store were very friendly and knowledgeable. They shook my faith in New Balance though. They told me with the pronation of my feet, I need a stability shoe, and they couldn't believe the NB store people sold me a pair of 1062's.

I walked out of the Runners Hi store with
a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8.

Now, none of the shoes in this store had any price tags on them. Given the "specialty" nature of the store, I was cringing in anticipation of some serious sticker-shock when we went to the cash register. However (comma) I was very pleasantly surprised. The sticker price on the Brooks shoes were like $20 cheaper than the last pair of NB shoes I bought, and then the salesman asked if I was military and gave me a 10% discount. Cue Sports Announcer Sound Effect: He-Shoots-He-SCOOOOOOORES!!!

I took the new shoes out for a 2 mile run this morning to try them out and they were really comfortable. So far so good.

Diamond Head round 2

This afternoon I left work and ran home to meet up with my family and our visiting friends, and we headed off to try the Diamond Head hike again. We got to the parking lot about 4:30 p.m. and this time there were PLENTY of empty parking spaces.

This was my second time doing the Diamond Head hike, so if you want to know more details and logistics for planning your own trip, you can click here to see my previous blog post.

Our gang on the trail switchbacks

All four boys did a GREAT job on the hike. I was really pleased with how well it turned out. ES, YB, and 5 year old N all made it all the way to the top and all the way back down to the parking lot under their own propulsion. Little 3 year old A rode in the stroller on the paved portion of the path and had to be carried for a good portion of the trip.

ES was on point for most of the hike. Here he is, excited that he was the first member of our group to make it to the top of the steps.

These are the spiral staircase steps inside the old bunker / Army observation post near the top of Diamond Head.

Self portrait looking toward Hawaii Kai with the Koko Head crater and the ridge above Hanauma Bay in the background.

Daddy and ES Back at the Beginning of the Trail

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about going this afternoon. The boys seemed cranky when I got home and it was hot as heck today. Plus, I was worried about the traffic. I was really pleased with how well the afternoon turned out. The late afternoon sun wasn't too bad and it wasn't too hot. The boys did great - the whining quotient was significantly below average. They seemed to have a good time and I really enjoyed the quality time with LW and them. Traffic-wise, we had a bit of congestion on the way driving home, but we still got home 30 minutes earlier than I had predicted when we started this adventure. In summary, I'm really glad we went!

Cue Sports Announcer Sound Effect: He-Shoots-He-SCOOOOOOORES!!!